Player-versus-player functionality has been added into World of Warcraft, the still in-beta MMORPG based off of Blizzard's popular Warcraft franchise. In the latest patch, a new realm is made available that allows players on the opposing Horde and Alliance factions to do battle in areas specially designed for player-versus-player competition.

The newly implemented player-versus-player system will build upon the notion of groups of races that generally don't get along. Humans, dwarves, gnomes, and night elves side with the Alliance, while orcs, trolls, tauren, and undead will side with the evil Horde side. Gradually, the new server will introduce aspects of the player-versus-player combat in the coming weeks, which will give Blizzard ample opportunity to observe and tweak the system and the capabilities of different races and classes.

Territory states are being introduced in areas with PvP combat, which will show which faction controls a particular location and what dangers a player may come across if he chooses to travel there. The mini-map will color-code areas depending on the threat level. Green will signal friendly occupied areas, yellow for disputed, and red for enemy-held locations.

World of Warcraft's official website has a full listing of the updates in the new patch. Give it a gander to see everything that will be in store for you in your future journeys.